When Caserio took over as the Houston Texans’ general manager in 2021, Belichick vowed to his staff and team owner Robert Kraft that he’d take a more collaborative approach with the draft. That offseason, Kraft openly praised Belichick for making changes to the draft process that seemed to be the harbinger of a brighter future.
On April 29, 2021, Jones was still on the board when the Patriots were on the clock at No. 15. Belichick liked Jones, but he also liked quarterback
Davis Mills. Belichick also was dead set on taking a quarterback at that spot.
But Jones was the Patriots’ highest-rated player, and they desperately needed a quarterback after going 7-9 with
Cam Newton in their first season without
Tom Brady. Belichick appeared content to wait for Mills, who fell to Caserio’s
Texans in the third round, but relinquished to the staff’s strong push for Jones, according to league sources. After previously vowing to be more collaborative, Belichick recognized he couldn’t go back on his word with his first selection under the new approach.
Before calling Jones, Belichick repeatedly asked his staff members if they were fully on board with the selection. He received no pushback.
Though he had vowed to be more collaborative after Caserio left, it was largely too late. The roster didn’t have enough talent to remain consistently competitive.